TN: Da Prof Visits (Nov 14, 2019)

[Jeff Grossman]

attendees: Jonathan+Gail, Scott, Cliff, Jayson, Jeff

Da Prof and Gail are in town for the annual conference so we have our annual jeebus. We meet at Ol' Reliable because, well, it's a definition.

Alas, Jay, who made the reservation, cannot join us. But the staff at BOHK knows and cherishes him so, as the stand-in host, they ask me whether Jay will be coming tonight? It was my sad duty to crush their feverish hopes, but I made a conscious effort to order like Jay would have. And to tip like Jay would have.

Somehow, after getting through all the usual plates, there was a call for more food so I ordered two more dishes. The Crispy Chicken House Style was really very good; I'd be happy to add that to the standard bill of fare.

Bacchus treated us to delightful fizzy and red wines; the pigmentally-challenged ones not so much:

Dom. de la Pepiere 2005 Muscadet "Clos des Briords" Cuvee VV - alas, getting a little old; Jayson calls out some oxidation and I think it's gone somewhat cheesy; it may have lightened up a bit with air but not much; we talk about how we've all had good bottles and not-so-good bottles... just seems like the actual bottling process gives uneven results

Remi & Robert Niero 2007 Condrieu "Cuvee de Chery" - despite the good vineyard this is lightweight and quiet... "or just boring?" -Jonathan

Godme NV Champagne Brut "Sabine" Blanc de Noirs GC - tangy, lemon, dried basil, a bit of chalk, very little brioche/baked goods, for $35 this is really nice

Coudert (Clos de la Roilette) 2017 Fleurie "Griffe du Marquis" - OMG, it stings a little (13%) but this is gorgeous, ripened to perfection, does not show its barrel treatment except in a slightly softer acidity, dazzling

Dom. des Malandes 2017 Chablis VV "Cuvee Tour de Roy" - no one has ever heard of this house (though the Disorder search function finds a couple mentions) but this is good, straightforward chablis: chalky minerals, yellow fruit, creamy texture, unmistakable

Bereche et Fils (2017) Champagne Brut Reserve VV - disg. 07/2019, dosage 7 g/l, "L:17", rather substantial and yeasty, more to Jonathan's palate than mine

G. Barthod 2010 Chambolle-Musigny - at first, people think this is closed but I don't agree: textbook village Burgundy, cherry and raspberry, a glance at the forest floor and a swig of liqueur, there may even be more to come

Gouges 2013 Nuits-St.-Georges "Clos des Porrets-Saint Georges" - this is Burgundy with a slightly bitter edge, despite being in the nouveau Gouges open style; also just a tad ripe; seems to be careening around

Drouhin 1999 Beaune 1er "Clos des Mouches" - SFJoe bottle; beautiful, snappy, all red fruit, tension and energy worthy of a 1er Cru

Ch. Leoville-Barton 1994 St-Julien - a perfect little wine: Bordeaux leather and dark currants/damsons, rather suave and polite

And nothing to take home... the only wines left on the table are the Briords and the Niero. Well done, folks!

 

[Asher]

Domaine des Malandes is a reliable Chablis producer. I've been enjoying their wines since at least the 2007 vintage. They make solid Premier Cru wines from Fourchaume, Lechet and Montmains, for example. They also release at least one Grand Cru, from Les Clos, although I don't recall having it. Their 1ers are in the neighborhood of $35 and are good value. Flickinger usually has a lot of product at good prices. As far as I know, stainless or neutral oak. Their wines are good, but in my experience, are not for long aging.

 

[Jonathan Loesberg]

Gail also liked the Bereche, though we would both be happy to have the Godme in front of us anytime. And I was also taken by the Coudert Marquis de Griffe. I didn't know it saw barrel treatment and wouldn't have known even if I had been told. We both had a wonderful time. I look forward to these jeebuses far more than the programming committee for the conference, which is becoming more or less an excuse for coming up.

For those who care about theater, we spend the next two nights going to the Inheritance. The NY times review was pretty much spot on: a little too soap opera-ish, and more than once overwritten, but really quite moving and frequently intelligent. It's a disservice comparing it to Angels in America. Tony Kushner may well be our best living playwright and a play can be very good indeed without being quite as good as that play.

 

[scottreiner]

Griffe was 2017, no?

 

[Jonathan Loesberg]

originally posted by scottreiner:
Griffe was 2017, no?

Indeed. Good catch.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:

originally posted by scottreiner:
Griffe was 2017, no?

Indeed. Good catch.

Fixed. Thank you.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by Asher:
Domaine des Malandes is a reliable Chablis producer. I've been enjoying their wines since at least the 2007 vintage. They make solid Premier Cru wines from Fourchaume, Lechet and Montmains, for example. They also release at least one Grand Cru, from Les Clos, although I don't recall having it. Their 1ers are in the neighborhood of $35 and are good value. Flickinger usually has a lot of product at good prices. As far as I know, stainless or neutral oak. Their wines are good, but in my experience, are not for long aging.

Yes, my reading since then says they use mostly stainless or neutral oak; a very small amount of new wood is used on Les Clos.

Tour du Roy is just a village wine but the plot is very near to one end of Vaudesir so the Domaine considers it to be a bit better. It regularly sells out.